COLLEGE PLANNING RESOURCES Glenbard West College Coach Facebook Page / Blog Looking to get college information?  Follow the College Coach to get the lastest updates, interesting information about schools and find out what's next in the process in applying! GW College Insiders     There are a variety of resources available in the Career Resource Center located in the library for students and parents to utilize.   College pamphlets, brochures, and viewbooks offer colorful descriptions of campus life   College catalogues describe all course offerings, majors, and departments in great detail   College guides provide a snapshot of most colleges across the nation and are organized geographically or by major.      College Representatives Each year over 200 college representatives visit Glenbard West to talk to prospective students. The visits will be posted and most up-to-date in Naviance. Also, a calendar is posted on the guidance bulletin board in the hallway just outside of the Guidance Office. To see these representatives, a student must sign up two days in advance in the Guidance Office and get a pass from the Guidance Secretary, for signature and approval by their teacher.     Going on a College Visit? The college visit is one of the most helpful resources in your college planning. Not only does the visit enable you to see the physical setting and facilities of the college, but it exposes you to its students and faculty. The best time to visit a college is when it is in session. If this is not possible, then schedule a summer visit. Here are some tips on visiting colleges:   * Call the Admissions Office for an appointment and campus tour. Highly-competitive colleges are usually booked for the summer by June 1, so call before then.   * Visit a class.   * Have a meal on campus.   * If you plan to spend the night in the dorm, make arrangements through the Admissions Office or with a student you know at the college.   * Take a tour, check out facilities, including libraries, labs (computer and science) and dorms.   * Talk to an Admissions Advisor.       College Night at Glenbard West In October, the Guidance Department hosts a college night for parents and students. The topics covered are: general information about the college admission process, state colleges, highly-selective colleges, liberal arts colleges, career/college computer searches, NCAA, testing and test prep, and the financial aid overview. This program is particularly geared toward juniors and their parents, but all high school students and parents can benefit from the information presented. College Fairs In October, COD hosts its annual College Fair. In past years, over 200 colleges have been represented. This evening will provide you with an excellent opportunity to visit with representatives and pick up a little information about a lot of colleges in a short period of time. This will help the student to begin narrowing down his/her choices. Spring College Fairs are held at a variety of high schools in the area.  They are a great opportunity for juniors to make some connections to schools they are unable to visit over the break in April. Technology Resources and The Internet Electronic college application filing, via the Internet and software, is available in the computer labs as well as the library. Most colleges have a website that will give students and parents a great deal of information about the college. Visit College Websites to check out a list of our links to college information online. Over 200 colleges allow students to use the Common Application for filing their applictions. Click Common Application for more details.   College Admissions Terminology In order to make better college selection decisions, it is important to understand the terminology used by college admissions specialists.           Candidate Reply Date -- The date by which the student must notify the college of his/her intention to enroll. This date is May 1 each year.           Early Decision -- An early application process that means a binding commitment to attend. The student and a parent must sign an agreement that, if accepted, the student will attend unless the aid award is inadequate. The colleges share early decision lists; so if accepted, you must withdraw all other applications. Students not admitted under Early Decision are reconsidered with the regular decision applicants. (SAT I, SAT II, and ACT tests should be taken in the spring of the junior year if considering this option.)           Early Action -- An admission plan whereby a student can submit application by November 1 (for example) and receive a decision by mid-December. The Early Action student, if accepted, is not automatically bound to enroll. Students accepted under Early Action are not required to notify the college of their enrollment intentions until May 1. Check with each specific college to see if you can apply Early Action to more than one college with no penalty. (SAT I, SAT II, and ACT tests should be taken in the spring of the junior year if considering this option.)           Rolling Admission -- A procedure whereby a college accepts or rejects a student shortly after the student's application folder is complete. Most colleges use this system in selecting their incoming freshman class.           Wait List -- A term used by institutions to describe a process by which the institution does not initially offer or deny admission, but extends to a candidate the possibility of admission in the future.     Selective College Information         Degree of difficulty and challenge in coursework -- All four years are carefully evaluated, with 7th semester reports critical in individual cases. An important course should not be omitted because of fear of its effect on the grade-point average.           Class rank/grade-point average is often re-calculated by colleges using their own systems. Most selective colleges compute GPA using only the five academic "college preparatory" disciplines.         Essays are important! An interesting, well-written essay can tip the scales in an applicant's favor, or vice-versa. Take the time to do a good job - a significant personal experience and its effect on you is a good place to start.           Recommendations (from faculty, counselors, coaches, etc.) - Be sure to request these well before any deadline!           Standardized tests (SAT I, SAT II, ACT), spring of junior year, should be the latest one's initial test is taken. Most selective colleges desire the SAT I and SAT II tests. When the SAT I and SAT II are reported to a specific college by an individual student, all prior results of that same test are included. Colleges also differ as to how they record this data (i.e., some colleges will take the highest verbal score from one test date and the highest math score from another test date, and some colleges may average all of the student's verbal scores together and all of his/her math scores together).           Early Action/Early Decision -- The percentage of students applying for these two programs has increased significantly in the last few years. The colleges are building their classes with more students who are early applicants. These plans require students to know their first choice college in the fall of their senior year. A student interested in these plans should be doing their college search throughout junior year.  The applicants high school transcript is most important!!     Colleges that Offer Services for Special Education Students There are numerous publications available that provide information about colleges and universities that offer special programs for students with special needs (learning disabled, attention deficit disorder, hearing loss, vision impaired, etc.). Students and parents will find these materials a good place to begin their investigation. Suggestions For The Special Needs Search Process:           Begin the selection process early in a students junior year, as many programs have limited enrollments.           Identify the specific disability that you have by talking to your teachers. Schools have different programs available. By pinpointing your disability your counselor can help you search for an appropriate college.           Contact colleges or universities through the program administrators listed in the publications to determine whether or not the programs you are interested in will meet your needs.           Visit several campuses and have personal interviews with the program administrators before making a final selection. Some topics you might cover in the interview are: costs, specific skills taught, student/staff ratio, and statistics on the success of the program (placement ratio, etc.). Resources Available for Students with Learning Disabilities         Kravets & Wax, The K & W Guide to Learning Disabilities 9th Edition, Colleges, Harper Collings, 2007. (Available through Educators Publishing Services). Visit www.review.com for more information           Peterson's Colleges with Programs for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorders, 7th edition, 2002           Taymans, Juliana M. and West, Lynda 2005. Unlocking Potential: College and Other Choices for People with LD and AD/HD Woodbine House, Inc., Bethesda, MD  Links to Additional Special Needs Services          Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI) is a collection of Internet accessible information resources of interest to parents and students who are planning for a college education with special education support.   High School Preparation for College -- ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS         Entrance requirements vary from college to college and, depending upon your major, can even vary on the same campus . However, all colleges focus on the strength and quality of your high school curriculum.         Colleges encourage students to take a rigorous academic load all four years of high school. A good "rule of thumb" to follow is Four Core Academic classes per year: English; Social Studies; Science; Math; or Foreign Language. Check with the college admissions officials for acceptability of Basic and Special level courses. Listed below are some general guidelines for high school subjects recommended by four different types of colleges. Check individual college catalogues for more specific information: Public Universities English: 4 years Mathematics: 3 years Social Studies: 3 years   Science: 3 years   Arts Electives: 2 years (Art, Foreign Language*, Music or Vocational Education, i.e., Business, Home Economics and Industrial Technology) *Many universities do require two years of the same foreign language.   Private Four-Year Colleges English: 4 years   Social Studies: 3 years   Math: 3-4 years   Science: 3 years Foreign Language 2-3 years Highly-Selective Colleges English: 4 years   Math: 4 years   Foreign Language: 4 years (same language)   Lab Science: 3-4 years   Social Studies: 3-4 years   Academic Electives: 2 years (English, Math, Science, Social Studies)   Community College (College of DuPage) Community Colleges have an "open door" policy for associate degrees. Any high school graduate is welcome. Transfer requirements to state schools have changed. Check directly with the college admission officials.   NCAA Requirements for Division I and Division II Eligibility Students wishing to be Division I or Division II athletes should contact their counselors for information on scholarship processes and recruitment regulations. Counselors have the information and forms required to enter the NCAA Clearinghouse for scholarship processing. CAUTION: Some colleges may require athletes to meet regular admission requirements in addition to NCAA requirements to receive a scholarship. Athletes are responsible for meeting these requirements. Signing a letter of intent does not guarantee that a scholarship will be given. Athletes must meet the college's requirements by the end of their senior year to guarantee the scholarship. To check out the NCAA Guide for the Student Athlete website, click: Eligibility and Recruiting